Guru Gobind Singh’s Khalsa
- January 8, 2022
By Kayva Gokhale
Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, helped the Sikhs transform into disciplined volunteers prepared to fight for their faith, by establishing the Khalsa. On the first day of Baisakhi in 1699, he asked his community to assemble and demanded a human head.
While initially there was a stunned silence, soon a young man stood up and offered his head to the Guru. Guru Gobind Singh then led the man into a tent and came out, his sword stained with blood. Once again, he asked for a human head and once again, a young man volunteered. He too went into the tent, after which the Guru came out with fresh blood on his sword. This happened five times.
To receive more such stories in your Inbox & WhatsApp, Please share your Email and Mobile number.
Guru Gobind then revealed that all five of the volunteers were, in fact, alive and well. He was simply testing the faith of his community. These brave volunteers were named his ‘Panj Pyare’ or ‘The Beloved Five’. Guru Gobind Singh then established a new community – The Khalsa, or the Pure.
The Khalsa was established by the Guru boiling water in an iron vessel and stirring in sugar with a double-edged dagger. This water or ‘Amrit’ was then given to the Panj Pyare, and the Guru anointed them as ‘Singhs’ or lions.
He also laid down the rules of the Khalsa and explained the five emblems of the community. The emblems were –
- Kesh – Long hair and beard, signifying the Indian asceticism
- Kanga – A comb to keep the hair tidy
- Kirpan – A dagger to be used only in defence of the innocent
- Kaccha – Soldier’s breeches
- Kada – A Metal bracelet
Guru Gobind Singh declared that the Khalsa are the ‘Pure’ and hence they could never harm the weak or molest a woman and would always regard all men as their brothers. The men in the Khalsa then baptised the Guru, changing his name from Gobind Rai to Gobind Singh, signifying that the Guru is of the Khalsa as much as the Khalsa is of the Guru.
The establishment of the Khalsa was a significant moment in the history of Sikhism and Punjab. Today, Sikhs celebrate Guru Gobind Singh and his teachings for the Khalsa, on Baisakhi every year.
Read more about the life of Guru Gobind in our title Guru Gobind Singh, now available on the ACK Comics app, Kindle, Flipkart, Amazon and other major e-tailers.
To receive more such stories in your Inbox & WhatsApp, Please share your Email and Mobile number.
Related Articles
Comic of The Month
The Sons of Rama
The story of Rama and Sita was first set down by the sage Valmiki in his epic poem 'Ramayana.' Rama was the eldest son of Dasharatha, the king of Ayodhya, who had three wives - Kaushalya, Kaikeyi and Sumitra. Rama was the son of Kaushalya, Bharata of Kaikeyi and Laxmana and Shatrughna of Sumitra. The four princes grew up to be brave and valiant. Rama won the hand of Sita, the daughter of King Janaka. Dasharatha wanted to crown Rama as the king but Kaikeyi objected. Using boons granted to her by Dasharatha earlier, she had Rama banished to the forest. Sita and Laxmana decided to follow Rama. While in the forest, a Rakshasi, Shoorpanakha, accosted Laxmana but had her nose cut off by him. In revenge, her brother Ravana, king of Lanka, carried Sita away. Rama and Laxmana set out to look for her and with the help of an army of monkeys, defeated Ravana. On returning Ayodhya after fourteen years of exile, Rama banished Sita because of the suspicions of his subjects. In the ashrama of sage Valmiki, she gave birth to her twin sons, Luv and Kush.
20 Minute Read
